With all the talk of supercharged 5.2L Voodoo motors regarding the (yet-unconfirmed) future Shelby GT500 Mustang, we’d gotten rather cozy with the thought that that’s exactly the motor the new super-‘Stang would get.
But now, a new rumor has surfaced: that the forthcoming Shelby GT500 will be powered by a brand-new, normally-aspirated V8 displacing 7.0 liters. However, be sure to take the news with a grain of salt, as it comes from a site we’ve never heard of called “SpeedTwitch,” which has made some other dubious claims in the recent past – e.g. that the 2019 F-150 Raptor will be powered by the same 7.0L V8, and that the 2017 Ford GT would have “the best power-to-weight-ratio [sic] of any car, ever” with 630 horsepower and a 2,890 curb weight.
Not only are both figures inaccurate, but there are quite a few cars with better power-to-weight ratios (Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari, etc.).
Yet, to SpeedTwitch‘s credit, Ford is indeed reportedly planning to announce a new 7.0-liter V8 to replace its aging 6.8-liter V10 (according to Automotive News). We have our doubts as to whether such a mammoth truck engine could be made to fit neatly into the S550 Mustang, but SpeedTwitch claims an insider told the outlet: “Ford’s new 7.0L V8 variant will be built in Canada, and the short blocks for the motor will be sent to [Ford Performance Technical Center] in Concord for the addition of ‘go-fast’ parts.” The insider also reportedly said the Shelby GT500’s V8 “will feature direct injection, and some seriously high-flowing heads and upper intake assembly.”

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is about to get some supercharged competition from Ford if this exclusive spy shot is any indication. Sent in by a well-placed source, the photo shows a Shelby Mustang with a supercharged engine

In the lone image we can see a supercharged V-8 installed in what appears to be a Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang body. Our source tells us it’s a supercharged version of the GT350’s 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank Voodoo V-8. The supercharger install is very clean, and the blower and associated parts look very similar to those included in a Ford Performance supercharger kit for the Mustang GT. That kit is estimated by Ford to make 670 hp when mounted to a 5.0-liter V-8, so there’s huge potential for the 5.2-liter Voodoo, which makes 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque in naturally aspirated form. That’s good news considering the last GT500 made 662 hp and the current ZL1 makes 650 hp.

So is this the GT500? We can’t say for sure, but the claim of a flat-plane-crank V-8 does jibe with what we heard when we spotted a Shelby Mustang prototype testing with a Camaro ZL1 a couple weeks back. When asked about the photo, a Ford spokesman said the company doesn’t comment on speculation. It’s possible Ford is testing an OEM supercharger kit for the GT350, which would also be cool. But we prefer to believe this is a mule for the GT500 and we’ll soon see Ford’s answer to the ZL1. The Shelby GT500 celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, so we could see a new model debut this year.

Just going to say that I think that would be opposite of the direction Ford always seems to go.

They've never been in the large displacement brute category. Their MO is to rely on advanced technology to get more out of smaller engines. The GT has done this, the GT350 voodoo has done this, etc. And considering the way the entire industry is going, I don't see them bucking that trend.

Now this is what you call a “boss” Mustang.
A camouflaged prototype of a new high performance Mustang variant has been caught cruising the streets outside Ford’s Dearborn Development Center with what appears to be the director of the Ford Performance division, Dave Pericak behind the wheel. If it weren’t an important car, he wouldn’t be driving it.
Bulky black padding and a dazzling wrap hide most of the car’s secrets, but the revealing part is where the rubber meets the road.
The coupe is wearing a set of Michelin front tires that are 305 mm wide. That's the same width as the rear tires on the current Mustang Shelby GT350 and matches the fronts on the Chevy Camaro ZL1's, which are the widest in the land. This suggests that the new Mustang isn’t destined to be just a straight-line special, but is being developed with handling in mind.

The wheels that those tires are wrapped around and the brakes inside of them are completely covered on the test car, but recent photos of what was purported to be a development vehicle for this model revealed what looked like carbon fiber wheels and carbon ceramic brakes, similar to those offered on the new $450,000 Ford GT.
If the Mustang is indeed a new GT500, Boss or Mach 1, it will likely be powered by a twin-turbocharged or supercharged version of either the Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V8 or Shelby GT350’s 5.2-liter V8 with something approaching 700 hp. That'll let it compete with the 650 hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 707 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, if not the upcoming 840 hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which will be the front tire king at 315 mm. (It's a big, heavy car. It needs them.)The last GT500 had a 662 hp supercharged V8, so don’t expect the new one to bring less than that to today’s escalating muscle car war when it is officially unveiled later this year.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Clearly this information wasn't supposed to get out yet. Too late.
We’ve known for some time that Ford was working on a new Mustang GT500. What we didn’t know was what would be resting under its hood. A modified version of the GT350 and GT350R’s 5.2-liter V8? Something different? Something more powerful? Thanks to this scanned image, courtesy of Speed Twitch, from a section of next month’s issues of Motor Trend, that question has now been answered. Although the print is small, it clearly says the following: "A new GT500 with a supercharged 5.0-liter and the new injection setup could debut in 2018."

Additional spec information reveals this supercharged V8 will have 680 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Speed Twitch further speculates, based on information coming from Ford Performance sources, that a TVS 2.65 blower is being utilized to extract more power from the V8. As of this writing, Ford hasn’t made any official comment, and we’ve reached out to our own contacts at the automaker in order to try to confirm. In the meantime, assuming Motor Trend got its info right, Ford has really come through on this one. Just to compare, the current GT350 has 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, while the previous generation GT500 generated 662 hp and 631 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged 5.8-liter V8. We’ll updated the moment we learn more.

It could just as well be a damn good platform to build on. The manufacturers have numerous laws to follow...the consumer, not necessarily. In the early 2000's the cobras were nothing spectacular until 03, which could be turned into beasts relatively cheap.

A member of the forum has shared a confidential Ford document titled ‘2020 MY North America Vehicle Program – Engine Oil Requirements’. For the most part, it’s a rather boring document that simply indicates the recommended oil to be used by service centers. What’s interesting is that it lists both the current Mustang GT350 and the long-awaited ‘Supercharged Mustang GT500’, all but confirming that the car is just around the corner.

In addition to this titbit of information, another member managed to snap a picture of the vehicle’s truly massive Brembo brakes and slotted calipers which will have to deal with bringing the hugely-powerful car to a stop.

Sources close to Ford indicate that the GT500’s engine will be dubbed ‘Predator’ and share many of its components with the universally-praised 5.2-liter V8 of the GT350 and GT350R. Consequently, the Predator should retain a flat-plan crank and could howl just as beautifully as its slightly less-powerful younger brother. A horsepower figure of over 650 hp seems very likely.

We’ve heard for a while that Ford will introduce a supercharged Mustang GT500 sometime soon. And thanks to images posted on a fan forum earlier this month, we’re confident that not only is the GT500 happening, it’s also going to be revealed soon. The latest leaked images only add to that confidence.
Over at the Mustang6G fan forum, member “zackmd1” posted what appear to be two wiring diagrams for the GT500’s engine that he says Ford mistakenly posted instead of the actual wiring diagrams for the Mustang GT350. It might initially look like the GT350’s 5.2-liter V-8, but if you look closer, it’s definitely got a supercharger. And if you look even closer, you can see the Cobra symbol on the top of the engine.
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Interestingly, it doesn’t look like this is the wiring harness Ford will actually use on the GT500 since the diagram shows the harness cutting through the intercooler in a few places. Unless Ford has invented some magical ghosting technology, we suspect the GT500’s actual wiring harness will be a little different.

Even weirder, the forum member who posted the images says they come directly from Ford. There’s no way to know exactly how it happened, but it appears that the person who created these diagrams accidentally used the wrong image for the engine. Is it a mistake? A leak? We’re not really sure.3 Photos

Still, these images are one more reason to believe the next Mustang GT500 is coming and might even be revealed at the Detroit auto show next month. Considering the current GT350 makes 526 hp, and the last GT500 made 662 hp, we have a feeling the new GT500 will be one ridiculously quick car.

Details from leaked information about the speedometer verification procedure reveal that the car’s speedometer will climb all the way to 214 mph (344 km/h), giving the new GT500 a significant leg up on its rivals.

Beyond the GT500’s mammoth top speed, further leaked documents tell us that the car will gain a number of driving modes to improve its performance. In fact, there will be a dedicated ‘Drag Strip’ setting and a Launch Control function.

Interestingly, the Track and Snow/Wet modes found on other Mustangs won’t make an appearance in the GT500, indicating that the car manufacturer will prioritize straight-line performance over handling.

Ford’s updated VIN decoder has also revealed that the addition of the new 5.2-liter supercharged V8 of the GT500 will come at the cost of the flat-plane crank, naturally-aspirated mill of the current GT350. The remaining two engines available for the Mustang will be the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder and the GT’s 5.0-liter V8.

Power and torque figures for the car remain unconfirmed but it’s possible that in excess of 750 hp is on the cards.